Surf Cycle Bus arrives in North Devon

The first of two Surf Cycle buses was back in North Devon on Monday afternoon, having undergone a major refit. The buses have been adapted to take water sports equipment and bikes on board. The lower deck has been transformed with racking and the upper deck remains as the seating area and anyone with or without equipment can travel on the bus.

North Devon+ Project Officer, Isabelle Bromham said ‘It has taken 3 years to get to this point and I must say it felt wonderful to see the bus finally arrive in Barnstaple'. The pilot scheme will be operated by Stagecoach and will run for 2 years on a seasonal basis starting from Saturday 18th June up until the end of October. Isabelle went on to say ‘ Having the buses back in North Devon is half the battle, we now need to ensure people use it and we will urge every user to give us feedback on their experience so that we can keep track of any issues and make changes where they are needed'.

Rob Whitney, teacher at Ilfracombe College said 'this bus scheme is great news for the area, providing greater access to the beach for many young people of Ilfracombe who in effect leave so close to the beach but yet again so far when it comes to getting there'.

The Surf Bus will be officially launched at Goldcoast Oceanfest this Friday and people will have a chance to go on board and see how it works, ask questions and give their view on the new scheme.
The Surf bus will run from June to October during 2011 and from April to October in 2012. Daily timetables and the route can be found on www.northdevon.com/surfbus.

The service will operate daily, and will include Barnstaple, Braunton, Saunton, Croyde, Georgeham Cross, Woolacombe and Ilfracombe.